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SS. Joachim and Anne: Kiss at the Gate
by Maria G. Diaz
11"x 21" acrylic, French bas-relief and gold leaf on wood
Just as Abraham and Sarah were scorned by their neighbors because they had no children, so too, were Joachim and Anna. Without children, they believed that they would not be participating in God's saving plan for His chosen people.
In spite of years of longing and praying for a child, their faith was not shaken. Their love for one another and love of God united them, so they persisted in their plea to God. Grief, however eventually drove Joachim out to the desert to fast and pray for forty days.
Anna, lamenting her childlessness and what was her apparent abandonment, dressed in mourning clothes and wept. Judith seeing her mistress in distress, tried to give her courage saying, "do not despair, have faith in God". Anna took Judith's words to heart and changed her mourning clothes for her wedding clothes. With renewed faith she continued her entreaty to God.
As she prayed, an angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her that her prayer would be answered. She and Joachim, in spite of their old age, would have a child whose name would be known throughout the world. An angel of the Lord also appeared to Joachim with the same wonderful news. Grief turned into joy. Joachim and Anna rushed to find one another and were re-united at the gates of city. They embraced and with a kiss celebrated their blessed news.
As with Abraham and Sarah, the Lord waited until Joachim & Anne were old and beyond childbearing years so that they would know that the child they conceived was not from their efforts but from God's. Their only daughter, Mary, would be the Immaculate Conception and The Very Glorious Mother of God - The Theotokos in Greek.
This icon commemorates Sts. Joachim's and Anna's joyful meeting at the golden gates of the city of Jerusalem. It celebrates the sanctity of the grandparents of the Savior, the vocation of marriage and their faithfulness to each other and to God. Joachim is the ideal husband, Anna the perfect wife. Their meek submission to one another, in love, is made visible in their gentle embrace. It is also suggested by their postures as they "bend" or lean towards one another. Above them the angel of the Lord extends his right hand in a blessing gesture that symbolizes God's blessing on them. Directly behind the gates, the two distinct buildings represent the different lives and families united/"bridged" by the "golden gate" through marriage.
St. John, the evangelist declares, "God is Love". From the marriage liturgy we hear, "the very meaning of life is found in the giving and receiving of love. Love is man's origin. Love his constant calling. Love his fulfillment in heaven".
Sts. Joachim and Anne are the patron saints and powerful intercessors of married couples, grandparents, and couples struggling with infertility.
Completed February ©2006 by Maria G. Diaz. Original in private collection.
AD MAJORIAM GLORIUM DAE